Flourishing programs in 90+ disciplines. A vibrant Christian mission. $50 million
in new campus construction. Championship athletics. 94% placement within 6 months
of graduation. There’s never been a better time to consider Hope College.

As a member of the MIAA and NCAA Division III associations, Hope College sponsors
22 varsity sports for men and women. The college is home to the 2014 NCAA Division
III National Championship women’s volleyball team.

Hope Will Host Women's Basketball National Finals

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HOLLAND -- Four months ago the Hope College Flying Dutch brought home the 2006national championship trophy in women's basketball.

HOLLAND -- Four months ago the Hope College Flying Dutch brought home the 2006national championship trophy in women's basketball.

Now the Flying Dutch will get an opportunity to bring home the entire nationalchampionship tournament!

The NCAA has selected Hope to host the 2008 and 2009 Division III women'sbasketball semi-finals and championship game at the college's new DeVosFieldhouse.

"Hope College is extremely delighted to be given the privilege of hosting anational event of this caliber for the NCAA. They have entrusted a majorchampionship to our care, and we are confident that with the outstandingquality of our new DeVos Fieldhouse, the commitment of Hope College personnel and
the support of the Holland community, we can deliver an unfortgettable experiencefor those student-athletes who earn the right to come here to play for a national
title," said Eva Dean Folkert, Hope's director of women's athletics.

"The experience we garnered from hosting the Division III swimming and divingnational championships at the Holland Aquatic Center in 2005, and the successwith which those championships were organized and executed, gave Hope andHolland much credibility in its ability to spotlight major NCAA events. Now,with the opening of the DeVos Fieldhouse and with the large, enthusiasticwomen's basketball crowds who fill that arena, we plan to continue a traditionof creating first-rate championship experiences on behalf of the NCAA and theNCAA student-athlete.

"Hope and Holland basketball fans are undoubtedly the best in the country, andwe know they will embrace this event because these are young women playingcollege basketball at a high level. We just have to look to last season'ssuccess of our own Hope women's team to prove that. Coach Brian Morehouse andhis team played some of the most outstanding basketball the nationaltournament has ever seen in Springfield, Mass. It is exciting to know that nowthat kind of talent will be coming to Hope and Holland, Mich. Basketball fansof all ages will surely be privileged to watch these championships for 2008and 2009."

The three-week long tournament featuring 64 of the nation's top Division IIIteams will culminate in Holland with the final four on March 21-22, 2008 andMarch 20-21, 2009.

The submission of Hope's bid to host the tournament was a coordinated effortby the college, the Holland Area Visitors and Convention Bureau, the Cityof Holland and the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).

Known for its hospitality, the Holland community is recognized nationally asone of America's "Distinctive Destinations." There are approximately 1,350hotel rooms within a ten-minute drive of the DeVos Fieldhouse.

When Hope hosted the 2005 swimming/diving championships it was estimated thatthe direct economic impact on the Holland community (hotels, restaurants,retail businesses) from the athletes, coaches, families and fans exceeded $1million, according to Sally Laukitis, executive director of the Holland AreaConvention and Visitors Bureau.

The championship will be played at the state-of-the-art 3,400-seat DeVosFieldhouse. The facility features amenities that will provide the NCAA withan outstanding venue for players and their fans.

The DeVos Fieldhouse opened for the 2005-06 season. The Flying Dutch, whoended the season with a 30-game winning streak and 33-1 record, were 14-0 atDeVos. Ironically, none of the team's six NCAA tournament games were playedat DeVos as the Flying Dutch were always the lower-seeded team in theirnational championship run. Hope averaged more than 1,300 fans per home game.Officials Division III attendance figures for 2005-06 have not been announcedby the NCAA, but Hope's average of 1,329 fans surpassed the average homeattendance in a season by any Division III team since the data was firstgathered in the 1980s.

This will be the second time that Hope has been selected to host the finals ofthe Division III women's basketball championships. The Flying Dutch hostedthe final four at the Holland Civic Center en route to winning the 1990national championships. Back then one of the remaining four teams wasselected to host the championship weekend with just days notice. The NCAAmoved to a pre-determined site eight years ago in order to enhance thechampionship experience for the athletes, coaches and fans.

The 2006 championship weekend was hosted by Springfield College inSpringfield, Mass. and will return there next March. Previous sites werelocated in Indiana, Virginia and Connecticut.

The college's Haworth Inn and Conference Center will serve as the officialtournament headquarters. Participating teams and their fans will be hostedat Holland area lodging establishments. An organizing committee will be formedin the coming months.

This will be the fourth NCAA national championship to be hosted by HopeCollege. In addition to the swimmming and diving championships (2005) andwomen's basketball finals (1990), Hope hosted the Division III cross countryfinals for men and women in 1987.